Friday, August 26, 2011

Johan Santana is facing a lawsuit accusing him of sexual assault, asks judge to remove records from the public

According to the website The Smoking Gun, Johan Santana is facing a lawsuit accusing him of sexual assault. The baseball star has asked a Florida judge to cloak video depositions, transcripts, and other court filings from public view, claiming that the alleged victim is “determined to try this case in the media.”

In a motion filed last week in Circuit Court, the New York Mets pitcher requested a protective order barring Deanna Williams and her lawyers from the “publication or dissemination” of a variety of material associated with the case.

In her complaint, Williams accused the 32-year-old athlete of sexual battery, assault, and false imprisonment in connection with an October 2009 encounter on a Fort Myers golf course. Williams told cops that Santana attacked her despite her saying, "please, no," and "please no, not like this, not here, please no." She added that after Santana finished assaulting her, "Johan told me 'this is crazy' and 'I'm sorry.'"

Santana, who is married with three children, told police who investigated Williams’s allegation that the pair’s sexual activity was consensual. He claimed that she "seemed very excited and forward towards me,” and was “very excited and was 'masturbating' as we engaged in sexual intercourse."

Answering her lawsuit, Santana charged that, “Williams’ sole purpose in making up these allegations” was to “extort…substantial sums of money.” In a counterclaim, he accused Williams of defamation and malicious prosecution. In response to Santana’s contention that his “good name” and “reputation” had been damaged by Williams’s claims, her lawyers shot back that any such damages “are the result of his admitted adultery and impregnating a woman not his wife.”

Prosecutors declined to pursue charges against Santana since they believed there was "not enough evidence to prove lack of consent."

In his August 17 motion, Santana notes that since the civil case “has received national and local media attention,” there is “heightened potential for this normally private exchange of information to become public.” Santana’s motion came after a judge ruled that he had to provide Williams with documents detailing his efforts to reach a financial settlement of her claim (both before and after the lawsuit’s filing).

Lawyers for Williams have not filed a response to Santana’s motion for a protective order, which will be ruled upon by Judge Michael McHugh. (5 pages)